Sleepy_Steve

So having just finished my rookie year of racing in HC2 with some truly awesome company; Kaan asked me to make this thread because "he likes to be entertained".

Step 1 - Have GSR racecar




Step 2 - Enjoy the early present from the rules for next year. Five more HP and 50 lbs less in race weight for next year. It will be interesting to see if this brings the GSR motor into competitive territory with the C5's and B16B's.





The only issue is that the engine is a bit tired after 1000 track miles this year and 263k miles before that. Also with the addition of a fire system for next year, I'm not yet fully certain where I'm getting the weight from.
Obligatory regional championship winning engine bay shot:




Goals for next year: (in order)

• Be 100% ready in march
• Make power (179.8 HP or so)... Cams, valve springs / retainers, cam gears, clutch, flywheel, heck maybe I'll get fancy and put a thermostat in the girl.
• Get another 65 or so lbs out of the car. Move weight to the rear where I can while I do that. Might have to buy some lexan.
• Make the valve cover / engine bay look cool(er than what you see above)
• Drop the front ride height a tad
• Build a new splitter, materials TBD
• Corner weight
• Clean up the steering rack
• Fresh synchro's, esp for 3rd gear.
• Paint my roll cage. I am not a rust enthusiast despite what my competition will tell you.
• Pull the passenger front frame rail a bit to clean up some body gaps

What's first?

I'm pulling the engine because my clutch stopped being a clutch at the fun event last month. My money says it was a spring on the friction disk that broke off and is binding things up now. With all the other things I'm doing to refresh the engine and trans yanking it all out seemed like the best approach.

Kaan

iTrader: (3)

Go follow the podcast you are going to be on (at TheBlindApexPodcast on IG) and tag 3 people to enter to win a LifeLine Fire System... it ends friday night at midnight (EST) and ships Saturday.

Congrats on the Regional Championship... reliability, commitment/dedication, and perseverance pays off. These attributes you displayed will be key in the future... i promise.

Y&S Shields was the most affordable lexan and i used it in the old EM1 race car. I suggest rivnuts to install. your hatch glass alone will offset the fire system plus some.

Let me know if you need a hand one weekend... i'll travel to help out.

Sleepy_Steve

Mid week update:

Engine is out - and VERY dirty. I'm open to ideas on how to clean it up enough to spot fresh leaks in the future.




I scratched at it for a couple minutes with a pic to see where the oil caked dirt stopped and the aluminum block began.





I also learned why I had a radiator leak at the last event. I normally have really good luck with this style fan attachment

The good:


The bad:



Oh and my guess of a spring from the clutch disk was not correct in how it failed. But it was the friction disk that let me down. And it looks like it took the pressure plate with it. Or maybe it was the other way around? There had been a grinding noise while the clutch pedal was depressed for more than half the season which I incorrectly attributed to the release bearing and so I ignored it.

The Ugly:

Kaan

iTrader: (3)

At least you can get some time in during the week!

Power washer... thats the only way i have been able to get them clean... if it wasnt so caked on i would use one of those steam cleaners if you had one.

the clutch issues has been pretty common in the honda paddock. someone has this (or a spring) issue every year. I ran an exedy stock replacement setup for many years... between the B18B, B20s, and the C5... no issues. but it was only a matter of time i think.

I might actually have an aluminum shroud in the garage for the B series radiator... if you want it.

Sleepy_Steve

Work from home has it's perks for sure. Pressure washer is probably a good option.

I've lost a clutch disk spring on this car before, nice to know it's got multiple failure modes. New stuff is from ACT which worked well enough on my 240.

I think I'm going to braise the holes in the radiator shut and see how it goes. The other stock held fine with JB weld after a rock hit it, so that'll be my backup plan. The new one was only dripping when hot, and fine when cold so I think that braising should be sufficient.

Chance EG

Soak the whole engine in Purple Power degreaser (or any spray-on degreaser) and let it soak for several minutes. Then blast the hell out of it with a pressure washer. You can use a brush to scrub the tighter areas and get more of the grime off. If you don't have a pressure washer and don't want to lug the engine to a car wash, you can buy hose attachments that taper and turn a normal water hose into a low-pressure jet wash.

Stuff paper towels into any open ports, and then tape over them with masking tape. May want to consider using saran wrap or taping off some of the exposed sensors as well. Should yield very good results.

Good luck and have fun racing

Sleepy_Steve

Tonight's discoveries:

Trans mount bushing was fully separated. We suspected something was wrong, but it's nice to confirm. Interesting side note, I'll need longer bolts to put the new trans mount in because of a combination of a thicker flange and recessed threads in the subframe.

The 2 wires for what I'm 90% sure is my crank angle sensor has mostly separated from their plastic sheathing and their insulation. Literally not sure how the car was running at this point. Thankfully, it shouldn't be too hard to splice in some new wire and re-pin a new plug.

There is an interesting crease in the passenger side strut tower, and a half inch long crack in the drivers side. This is probably from a previous accident, and I'll be sending some (better) pictures to our region's resident body guy to get his take. Here's a picture of the drivers side.




And I started on making some cam gear adjustment access holes.

Kaan

iTrader: (3)

see if anyone of FB marketplace is selling some hasport mounts and then you can order new inserts for $35 i think...

while the engine is out you might as well take a really good look at the car. you dont have to worry too much about the bends until you start snapping axles all the time

Sleepy_Steve

I was on stock mounts, I already bought some hasport ones for next year, but they'll need different bolts. The original bolts only got 3/4 or 1 turn in before they got tight. 100% certain that'll strip if I try to torque that to spec.

I think if I drill holes in the ends of the strut tower crack(s), grind a little groove and run a weld bead on it, it'll be better than leaving the crack there to grow longer.

killerpenguin21

****, i have b series hasports/billet post mount from pulling my gsr out. return what ya got and ill give you a better deal...also have a type r valve cover thats already cut for gears (although its slightly um scorched :lol

I'm northeast HC btw, i think we follow each other on ig. Im the guy that got the type r cams approved in the gsr...the new rules are going to work well. kind of a cheater setup now like the k0a3

Kaan

iTrader: (3)

K swapped cars are no longer the "cheater" setup... not since Sam and I started running the Restricted Prep cars in the MA region... bring some lime and tequila to nationals... some folks are going to be salty.

Sleepy_Steve

Well I've been slacking on updates here. Most updates are done on IG reels mostly to force me to put time into the car most nights of the week after I get my kid to sleep.


The engine is back together and looking fresh, although I'm going to take another swing at the oil pan gasket when it gets in since I think I used too much RTV and I'm afraid of it coming off and being sucked into the oil pickup. The head also now sports adjustable cam gears and Crower branded type-R cams because the rules said it's ok. Hopefully they're not ground backwards like one horror story I've heard about. The valve cover has some additional AN fittings for a catch can setup I'll run next year and some relief areas for the adjustable cam gears. It also got powder coated black, and looks much nicer.

I had a number of the exhaust bolt holes on the head given thread inserts. I also had new to me valve springs / retainers installed with new valve seals as well. The hope is that this will buy me an extra 300rpm or so. If I'm lucky this means saving a shift or two around VIR.



My shock tower crack has been welded up and painted to hide my shame of being bad at sheet metal welding.


I'm also putting some fresh bellows on the steering rack and giving it some polly bushings to see if that helps steering feel.

Kaan

iTrader: (3)

here you are saving shifts and i'm making sure i use all 6 gears... well i'll still be a 3/4/5/6 car even with the new FD

is your rack properly depowered? that made the best improvement in feel... and i was running the Honed aluminum bushing setup.

Sleepy_Steve

the way I see it, a shift costs you a half second of throttle application, often more for us mortals. So the question becomes how baddly do I need that next gear?

As for the rack, yes it's done proper. Take it apart and remove the center block off plate, then put it back together. This was a mid season thing last year to help get the weight down. I did the same with my 240s rack years ago.

The issue was that I thought I'd leave the rack full of PS fluid this time for lubrication reasons. But it was dripping out the drivers side bellows due to a bad seal after the de-powering process. So I'm just stuffing it with grease this time. And hopefully not seeing ps fluid in my wheel well anymore.

Interesting note on the aluminum steering rack bushings, I didn't find those on Google so I went with Polly figuring its still going to improve steering feel.

Kaan

iTrader: (3)

i'll be sitting more in the top of 3rd or "bottom" of 4th for most corners... the only extra shift would be on the back straight according to my math.

I packed mine with redline CV grease... worked really well.

Sleepy_Steve

Been focusing a bit on getting more value out of data the last few days, I can say that I know more about the AIM software than when I started, but I still don't think I know all that much. Here's some debatably useless track maps and graphs!












Oh also after a day of being an idiot trying to stuff a pilot bearing into the wrong side of a flywheel, it's on the car.

Kaan

iTrader: (3)

woohoo progress!!! you are better off than i am. If people dont know, Steve and I race together... and I'm hoping we can both help each other out in 2023 to get faster. That being said, let me jump into what i see vs. what i did in my old car (my new car is a completely different animal for shifting)

I think you are on a GSR trans with an LS 5th (maybe)... if my math is right. I believe you need to be on a 5.1 and change your 5th, you are giving up 1-2 seconds at VIR alone by not having the 5.1. I believed 143mph was attainable in my new car and i was VERY wrong. You want to be at the top of 5th gear entering the braking zone on the back straight at VIR... i promise. 132-133mph is the goal.

I ran this setup in the old car... i didnt hide it. it was a "stock" B16 gear set (no super short 5th) with a 5.1... and it was a rocketship (unlike my new car). The best i got was a 2:14 at VIR (i think) but my potential was in the 12s.


Above is the reference point for my shifting. the car made a peak of 189.X (under 189.5) HP and came in consistently at 2515lbs. It did have a beat up front end and the aero on the front made it suffer IMHO.... my actual top speed was only in the 127mph range in the old car and i think it had to do with learning to take oak tree better AND the beat up front end. Another note... it would do the same MPH on the front and the back straight at VIR... and 125 at Summit Point. You will notice my shift points are earlier due to my aggressive gearing but it does translate into a couple of MPH difference at every point on the track... seeking your terminal velocity ASAP in a B series car works (as yet to be determined in the K powered 6 speed). Also note: my 5th gear had no rev limiter.



some of the biggest difference i see at summit point... i'm shifting while still turning as i exit T1, I HAVE to go to 5th gear just before i crest the hill exiting T3, and i purposely short shift the car going for turn 7 to rotate the car and get the car ramping up to smooth out T8 and T9 to go flat... I also needed 5th gear between 9 and 10, and i use the downshift to scrub speed for T10 but end up shifting back to 5th well before the start stand, usually at pit out/the EV shack.

VIR is BIG on MPH... obviously.... TONS of time left on the table if your gears arent just right.


the 5.1FD going up the uphill esses is out of control fast. I actually used to reel in Baker going up the esses... and then he would abuse me for the rest of the track lol

My VIR takeaways... i short shift the flat esses into 4th so i dont burn the tires down. but with the shorter gears i also shift into 5th about 100 yards before the bridge. I use the top of 4th to go through south bend and then shift again to 5th to keep accelerating... oak tree is one slow brake, not a double brake (we can get into the data). I'm concerned about the Hog Pen entry for you with this gearing... i run up to the top of 4th and pop the limiter at the right side curbinig, i turn in and brake on the left hand gators and throttle out. It seems with your gearing things will be slow to pull you out.

Sleepy_Steve

So, I wound up getting a different 3rd and 4th gear. For now I'll stick with the 4.9 final, although I seriously doubt I can turn the RPM needed for a 5.1. The only other thing I might change would be going to the super short .878 5th... but seems to be unobtanium and I'm already changing up a lot between last year and this year. So the main outcomes from these changes are that I will get to 5th a good bit quicker, but also wind up going to 5th about 4mph sooner, so hopefully it all evens out to be somewhat beneficial. It also looks like I'll be shifting back into a more consistent spot in RPM for next year.




Also, after a lot more effort than I think is reasonable, the engine / trans are in the car. Glad I still had the stock mounts to buy me the extra clearance I needed, and glad I sill had the passenger side torque mount I made last year to keep it from twisting too much. Now to get it running again and get it to a frame machine.

Kaan

iTrader: (3)

you have the 2023 gearing set to 8600 rpms... i think thats enough to run the 5.1 (if i remember correctly). I promise you want it... if you can spin 8600. it will run out right where you want it at VIR.

Sleepy_Steve

We'll see where it makes power first, but that'll be closer to March. Hopefully the flywheel, Type-R crower cams, cam gears, and valve springs let it turn a bit quicker.

Sleepy_Steve

I got my -8 catch can lines made up, hopefully this produces less blow by than was observed last year.
Doesn't look as clean as I was expecting compared to the old picture. I guess there's still more to clean up in the engine bay.

Kaan

iTrader: (3)

do you have additional intakes to test at the dyno? I can see what i have laying around if you think they will help. you definitely aren't using what most guys are using.

Sleepy_Steve

So the first event is in... 2 1/2 weeks, and I've just yanked my trans out again to find out why neutral is acting like 4th gear. It hasn't made it to the frame shop to straighten the front so I can use all my motor mounts, it has not made it to the dyno, the fire system is not installed, and I have not made a new splitter. Not exactly where I wanted to be this close to the first event.

Kaan

iTrader: (3)

i'm the only car signed up for March... and i'm not 100% done yet either. keep pushing!

Gustav129

Keep it up!